Over the years, we have seen quite a number of science fiction titles crowding the shelves. Some have lived up to their hype, while others have been largely underwhelming. However, one thing science fiction does is consistently stretch your imagination and open your mind to new perspectives.

It’s no surprise that this genre has become one of the most popular amongst book lovers, according to Amazon rankings. In her new book, A Game, author Alice Kovalsky takes readers on a thrilling journey of romance, science fiction, esotericism, and spirituality. In the many mainstream boy-meets-girl stories, authors put their absolute best into creating enough twists to avoid it coming off cliché. Nevertheless, it's hard to deny that there’s still a considerable amount of predictability as readers navigate these tried and true plots.

With science fiction titles, the same can be said with the scenery often being centred on an outer space adventure, or, in some cases, an alien invasion. That’s why many authors have incorporated different themes into their books to give them just the right amount of novelty to excite readers. A Game is one such book that fully immerses readers into an exciting plot that, while familiar on the surface, also becomes difficult to predict as the story progresses.  

What if the world as we know it isn’t as it seems? What if there’s more to what we call reality, and the real world exists outside of a matrix we might all be stuck in? More than two decades ago, the popular science fiction movie The Matrix championed the notion that reality may be simply an illusion, that our real selves are lying in technologically enhanced pods of fluid feeding machines. Since then, there has been a flood of similar stories exploring the question of what it means to be human in the age of technology, and whether or not anything we perceive is real.

The fiction may not be that far from reality, some would argue. Computer scientist Rizwan Virk, for example, posits that the chances of us living in a simulated world is much higher than we may like to admit. He bases his assumption on the work of renowned philosopher at the University of Oxford, Nick Bostrom. Alongside Bostrom, Virk believes that as civilization continues to advance, the probability of developing a technology that can create numerous simulated worlds increases.

“I think it’s more likely than not that we are in some kind of simulation. This means that there are many simulated realities and there’s only one base reality,” explains Virk. “Therefore, which reality are you most likely to be in – the 99 simulated realities or the one base reality? You’re more likely to be in the 99.”

These instances and many more are what Kovalsky stirs up in the minds of her readers in her book, which probes the authenticity of what we call our reality. But she spins this tale with numerous twists that go far beyond what you may be used to with such themes. A Game explores not just the varying realities that may exist, but the travails of an esoteric and spiritual being.

The book spotlights one character, NOE, who like many of us, just wants to get a decent job and live a comfortable life. However, things take a swift and drastic turn when he gets hijacked by unknown gunmen, leaving him distraught. But the real confusion happens afterwards when he’s been told that his reality was fiction all along. From then on, as many other characters are introduced into this beautiful piece of literature, the vivid details and imagery, alongside the numerous cliffhangers, make this book difficult to lay down until you’ve flipped to the final page.

For many who are science fiction enthusiasts and highly imaginative, reading through this book may open your mind to many exciting possibilities, leaving you wondering if parts of the story are mere figments of the author’s imagination or actual events that may have happened in a parallel dimension.

If you’re new to science fiction and not too familiar with stories about extraterrestrial battles, black holes, and alien technology, this book provides you with a light-hearted yet insightful entry into some popular sci-fi terminologies—all while capturing your attention with relatable scenes and concepts that exist even outside of sci-fi.